Commodity registration apparatus and method

ABSTRACT

A commodity registration apparatus includes a check-in terminal, a sensor group, and a management terminal. A processor of the management terminal is configured to track movement of a shopper and store items using the sensor group. A first commodity list is updated to include a first item when the tracked movements indicate the known shopper has selected the first item for purchase. The movements of any unidentified shopper are tracked. The processor updates a second commodity list to include a second item when tracked movements indicate the unidentified shopper has selected the second item for purchase. The second commodity list is associated with a provisional identification code. Commodity registration data for settlement processing is generated using the first commodity list unless the unidentified shopper is later identified as the known shopper, in which case, commodity registration data is generated using the first and second commodity lists in combination.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority fromJapanese Patent Application No. 2019-006209, filed on Jan. 17, 2019, theentire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD

Embodiments described herein relate generally to commodity registrationapparatus and method.

BACKGROUND

A technique of monitoring behavior of a shopper in a store using a largenumber of sensors for identifying commodities that the shopper is aboutto purchase is known.

However, according to such a technique, it is necessary to appropriatelyposition and install a large number of sensors and then appropriatelyprocess detection results from these sensors to make it possible tocontinuously monitor the behavior of the shopper. There are a lot ofpractical difficulties associated with actual construction and operationof such a system.

It is desirable that registration of commodities to be purchased can beperformed even for a shopper that could not or cannot be completelytracked from entry into the store until exit from the store.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a store systemincluding a sales management apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of main management processing by a processorillustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of sub-management processing by the processor.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first confirmation screen.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a second confirmation screen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An embodiment is directed to providing commodity registration apparatusand method that can perform sales registration of commodities for ashopper that was not tracked for an entire time period from entry into astore until exit from the store.

In general, according to an embodiment, a commodity registrationapparatus includes a check-in terminal to obtain a customeridentification code for a known shopper; a sensor group to detectmovement of shoppers and items in a store space; and a managementterminal connected to the check-in terminal and the sensor group by anetwork. The management terminal includes a processor configured totrack movement of the known shopper based on output of the sensor groupand track movement of items from a sales location based on output of thesensor group. The processor updates a first commodity list to include acommodity code for a first item when the tracked movements of the knownshopper and the first item indicate the known shopper has selected thefirst item for purchase. The first commodity list is associated with thecustomer identification code of the known shopper. The processor alsotracks movement of any unidentified shopper based on output of thesensor group. An unidentified shopper is a customer not presentlyassociated with a customer identification code. The processor updates asecond commodity list to include a commodity code for a second item whentracked movements of the unidentified shopper and the second itemindicate the unidentified shopper has selected the second item forpurchase. The second commodity list is associated with a provisionalidentification code generated for the unidentified shopper. Theprocessor generates commodity registration data for settlementprocessing for the known shopper using the first commodity list unlessthe unidentified shopper is identified as the known shopper prior tosettlement processing, in which case, commodity registration data forsettlement processing is generated using the first and second commoditylists in combination.

An example embodiment is described below with reference to the drawings.In the following embodiment, a sales management apparatus having afunction of a commodity registration apparatus is described.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a store system100 including a sales management apparatus 10 according to the presentembodiment.

The store system 100, which may be referred to as a commodityregistration system or apparatus, performs information processing forcommodity sales in a store that sells commodities displayed in a sellingspace (e.g., a sales floor). The store system 100 is configured bycommunicably connecting the sales management apparatus 10, a check-interminal 20, a sensor group 30, and a check-out terminal 40 via acommunication network 200. The store system 100 may include a pluralityof check-in terminals 20. The store system 100 may include a pluralityof check-out terminals 40. The sales management apparatus 10 is capableof communicating with a settlement server 300 as well via thecommunication network 200.

The communication network 200 can use the Internet, a VPN (virtualprivate network), a LAN (local area network), a public communicationnetwork, and a mobile communication network independently or incombination as appropriate.

The settlement server 300 performs credit settlement according to asettlement request received via the communication network 200.

The sales management apparatus 10 registers commodities taken out fromthe selling space of the store by a shopper as the purchased commoditiesof the shopper. For example, if the shopper exits the store, the salesmanagement apparatus 10 requests the settlement server 300 to settle aprice for the purchased commodities of the shopper.

The check-in terminal 20 performs a process for the shopper to startshopping at the store. The check-in terminal 20 includes a touch panel21 and a reader 22. The touch panel 21 displays a screen for presentingvarious kinds of information to the shopper who is going to enter thestore. The touch panel 21 receives data designated by touch operation(s)by the shopper. The reader 22 reads a member code presented by theshopper who is going to enter the store. The reader 22 is, for example,an optical two-dimensional barcode reader.

The sensor group 30 includes a large number of sensors disposed in thestore. The sensors detect the behavior of the shopper and a displaystate of commodities. The sensors are, for example, a camera, an opticalsensor, an infrared sensor, a temperature sensor, and/or a weightsensor.

The check-out terminal 40 performs a process for the shopper to exit thestore. The check-out terminal 40 includes a touch panel 41 and a reader42. The touch panel displays a screen for presenting various kinds ofinformation to the shopper who is going to exit the store. The touchpanel 41 inputs data designated by touch operation by the shopper. Thereader 42 reads a member code presented by the shopper who is going toexit the store. The reader is, for example, an optical two-dimensionalbarcode reader.

The sales management apparatus 10 includes a processor 11, a main memory12, an auxiliary storage device 13, a communication interface 14, and atransmission line 15. The processor 11, the main memory 12, theauxiliary storage device 13, and the communication interface 14 areconnected by the transmission line 15. The processor 11, the main memory12, and the auxiliary storage device 13 are connected by thetransmission line 15 to configure a computer that performs informationprocessing for controlling the sales management apparatus 10.

The processor 11 is equivalent to a central functional unit of thecomputer, for example, a central processing unit (CPU). The processor 11performs, according to an information processing program, informationprocessing for realizing various functions of the sales managementapparatus 10.

The main memory 12 is equivalent to a main storage or the like of thecomputer. The main memory 12 includes a nonvolatile memory region and avolatile memory region. The main memory 12 stores an informationprocessing program in the nonvolatile memory region. The main memory 12may store, in the nonvolatile or volatile memory region, data necessaryfor the processor 11 to execute the information processing. The mainmemory 12 uses the volatile memory region as a work area where data isrewritten as appropriate by the processor 11.

The auxiliary storage device 13 is equivalent to auxiliary storage ofthe computer. As the auxiliary storage device 13, for example, an EEPROM(electric erasable programmable read-only memory), an HDD (hard discdrive), or an SSD (solid state drive) can be used independently or aplurality of the EEPROMs, the HDDs, or the SSDs can be used incombination. The auxiliary storage device 13 saves data used by theprocessor 11 in performing various kinds of processing and datagenerated by the processing in the processor 11. The auxiliary storagedevice 13 may store information processing programs. One of theinformation processing programs stored by the auxiliary storage device13 is an application program (hereinafter referred to as salesmanagement application) P1 for performing a function of the salesmanagement apparatus 10. The auxiliary storage device 13 stores apurchased commodity table D1, a stray commodity table D2, and lostperiod data D3. The purchased commodity table D1 is table datarepresenting a list of purchased commodities of a shopper in associationwith a member code of the shopper. The stray commodity table D2 is tabledata representing a list of commodities that have been taken from theselling space but for which it is unknown which shopper is intendinggoing to purchase (hereinafter referred to as stray commodities). Thestray commodity list includes for each of the stray commodities, acommodity code for identifying the stray commodity and time when thestray commodity was taken from the selling space. The lost period dataD3 is explained below.

The communication interface 14 is an interface for data communicationvia the communication network 200. As the communication interface 14,for example, a well-known communication device for performing datacommunication via a LAN can be used.

The transmission line 15 includes an address bus, a data bus, and acontrol signal line and transmits data and control signals between theconnected sections.

In the sales management apparatus 10, for example, a general-purposecomputer can be used as basic hardware. In this case, typically, acomputer apparatus, in which the sales management application P1 has notbeen pre-stored in the auxiliary storage device 13 will be utilized, andthe sales management application P1 will later be individually providedto a company or the like that operates the sales management apparatus10. The sales management application P1 can be recorded in a removablerecording medium such as a magnetic disk, a magneto-optical disk, anoptical disk, or a semiconductor memory or being downloaded via anetwork. In this case, the sales management application P1 will bewritten in the auxiliary storage device 13 by an administrator, aserviceperson, or the like of the sales management apparatus 10.However, the sales management apparatus 10, in which the salesmanagement application P1 is stored in the auxiliary storage device 13of the computer apparatus, may be provided to the above-describedcompany or the like.

The operation of the store system 100 is now described.

A shopper shopping in the store using the store system 100 finishesmember registration before entering the store and receives a membercode. In the member registration, the shopper provides credit cardinformation or the like (referred to as credit information) for creditsettlement of sales transactions at the store. The member code and thecredit information of the shopper are saved in the auxiliary storagedevice 13 or another storage device in association with each other. Theother storage device is, for example, a storage device included in aserver apparatus or the like connected to the communication network 200.

The shopper, who enters the store and starts shopping, holds a barcoderepresenting the member code over the reader 22 of the check-in terminal20. For example, the shopper causes a display screen of a smartphone orthe like carried by the shopper to display the barcode representing themember code and then holds the barcode over the reader 22. The reader 22reads the barcode and acquires the member code shown in the barcode.Well-known processing for preventing illegal acts by falsification isdesirably applied to the barcode. It is assumed in this example that atwo-dimensional code is used as the barcode. However, a one-dimensionalcode or, in general, a barcode of any type can be used. The member codemay be formed on a member card. The reader 22 may acquire the membercode through noncontact communication, contact communication, magnetreading, or manual input by the shopper. Similarly, the reader 22 mayread the face, the fingerprint, or the like of the shopper, toauthenticate the shopper using a biological authentication techniquesuch as facial authentication or fingerprint authentication, and thenread the member code stored in the auxiliary storage device 13 or anyother storage device accordingly.

If a member code is acquired by the reader 22, the check-in terminal 20requests a start of sales management for the shopper. For example, aprocessor included in the check-in terminal 20 delivers data for therequested start of the sales management to the communication network 200while addressing the data to the sales management apparatus 10. Theprocessor includes the member code acquired by the reader 22 and apredetermined command to represent the request for the start of thesales management. The data is transmitted to the sales managementapparatus 10 by the communication network 200. In the sales managementapparatus 10, the communication interface 14 receives the datatransmitted by the communication network 200 and gives the data to theprocessor 11. Then, the processor 11 executes, according to the salesmanagement application P1, information processing for the salesmanagement (hereinafter referred to as main management processing) asfurther explained below.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of main management processing by the processor 11.If a plurality of shoppers are present in the store, the processor 11executes the main management processing in parallel for each of therespective shoppers. A plurality of processors may be included in thesales management apparatus 10 to perform distributed processing of aplurality of main management processing using the plurality ofprocessors. Alternatively, a plurality of sales management apparatuses10 may be provided to perform distributed processing of the plurality ofmain management processing using the plurality of sales managementapparatuses 10. Content of the main management processing describedbelow is an example. A change of the order of a part of the processing,omission of a part of the processing, addition of other processing, orthe like can be performed as appropriate.

In Act 1, the processor 11 sets, as a monitoring code, the member code.That is, the processor 11 uses the member code as a customer code foridentifying the shopper that has entered the store. The processor 11executes the sales management application P1 and the computer includingthe processor 11 functions as a first acquiring section. As the customercode, any code may be used so long as the code is capable of identifyingan individual shopper. For example, a code like a serial numberdetermined independently of the member registration may be used as thecustomer code.

The main management processing is processing for managing shopping byone shopper whose identity has been specified. In the followingexplanation a particular shopper for whom the management is beingperformed is referred to as a specific customer.

The processor 11 executes, separately from the main managementprocessing, information processing (hereinafter referred to asmonitoring processing) for monitoring behavior of the shopper and adisplay state of commodities based on detection results from the sensorgroup 30. For example, during the monitoring processing, first, theprocessor 11 identifies a shopper that has been photographed when theshopper was facing the check-in terminal 20 by a camera in the sensorgroup 30. The processor 11 monitors, as behavior concerning the shopperidentified by the monitoring code set by the main management processingas described above or a monitoring code set by sub-management processingdescribed below, movements of the shopper, a motion of the shoppertaking out a commodity from the selling space, a motion of the shopperreturning a commodity to the selling space, and the like. The processor11 monitors a state of commodities in the selling space based ondetection results by the camera and the other sensors included in thesensor group 30 and, if, for example, a commodity is taken from aselling space or a commodity is returned to a selling space, determinesthe taking-out of the commodity or the return of the commodity, or thelike, has occurred. Any applicable information processing may beperformed to carry out the monitoring processing. For example, anexisting technique can be used. If a plurality of monitoring codes areset, the processor 11 executes the monitoring processing concerning eachof the plurality of monitoring codes. However, a plurality of processorsmay be included in the sales management apparatus 10 to performdistributed processing of the monitoring processing using the pluralityof processors. Alternatively, a plurality of sales managementapparatuses 10 may be provided to perform distributed processing of themonitoring processing using the plurality of sales managementapparatuses 10. In this way, the sales management apparatus 10 also hasa function of a monitoring apparatus that monitors behavior of theshopper. However, the monitoring processing may be executed by aninformation processing apparatus different from the sales managementapparatus 10.

During the main management processing, in Act 2, the processor 11determines whether the specific customer takes out a purchase targetcommodity from the selling space. If the relevant behavior performed bythe specific customer is not recognized through the monitoringprocessing, the processor 11 determines No and the process proceeds toAct 3.

In Act 3, the processor 11 determines whether the specific customerreturns a commodity to the selling space. If the relevant behaviorperformed by the specific customer is not recognized through themonitoring processing, the processor 11 determines No and the processproceeds to Act 4.

In Act 4, the processor 11 determines whether the specific customer isabout to exit the store. If the relevant behavior performed by thespecific customer is not recognized through the monitoring processing,the processor 11 determines No and the process returns to Act 2.

In this way, in Act 2 to Act 4, the processor 11 waits for taking-out ofa commodity, return of a commodity, and exit from the store to berecognized through the monitoring processing.

If recognizing during the monitoring processing that the specificcustomer takes out a commodity from the selling space, the processor 11interrupts the main management processing concerning the specificcustomer and notifies a commodity code of the commodity taken out by thespecific customer. If the main management processing is interrupted, theprocessor 11 determines Yes in Act 2 of the main management processingand the process proceeds to Act 5.

In Act 5, the processor 11 updates a commodity list (e.g.,non-provisional commodity registration data) shown in association with amember code of the specific customer in the purchased commodity tableD1. That is, the processor 11 updates the relevant commodity list toinclude, as a commodity code of a purchased commodity, the commoditycode notified from the monitoring processing. Consequently, registrationof the purchased commodity is performed in association with the membercode serving as the customer code acquired by a function of the firstacquiring section of the processor 11. The processor 11 executes theinformation processing based on the sales management application P1 inthis way, whereby the computer including the processor 11 as the centralpart functions as a registering section that performs such registration.Thereafter, the processor 11 returns to the waiting state in Act 2 toAct 4.

If recognizing during the monitoring processing that the specificcustomer returns a commodity to the selling space, the processor 11interrupts the main management processing concerning the specificcustomer and notifies a commodity code of the commodity returned by thespecific customer. If the main management processing is interrupted, theprocessor 11 determines Yes in Act 3 of the main management processingand the process proceeds to Act 6.

In Act 6, the processor 11 updates the commodity list shown inassociation with the specific customer in the purchased commodity tableD1. That is, the processor 11 updates the relevant commodity list toexclude the commodity code notified from the monitoring processing fromcommodity code of purchased commodities. Thereafter, the processor 11returns to the waiting state in Act 2 to Act 4.

During the monitoring processing, for example, it is possible that apersonal characteristic, such as clothes worn by the shopper whenentering the store may change and the shopper photographed by the cameramust be identified based on similarity to the previously obtainedpersonal characteristic. For example, if the shopper's clothes aregreatly changed because, for example, the shopper takes off a coat, theshopper being photographed by the camera may no longer be correctlyidentified. In such a situation, the interruption to the main managementprocessing concerning the relevant shopper is not performed. Theprocessor 11 maintains the waiting state in Act 2 to Act 4.

On the other hand, in the situation described above, during themonitoring processing, any shopper whose monitoring code is unknown maybe detected anew. In this case, the processor 11 executes, on theshopper, information processing described below (hereinafter referred toas sub-management processing) according to the sales managementapplication P1.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart of the sub-management processing by the processor11. In this way, the sub-management processing is processing formanaging shopping by a shopper whose identity is not presentlyspecified. In the following explanation concerning the sub-managementprocessing, such a shopper to be managed is referred to as anunidentified customer. If unidentified customers are present in thestore, the processor 11 executes the sub-management processing on therespective unidentified customers in parallel. A plurality of processorsmay be included in the sales management apparatus 10 to performdistributed processing of a plurality of kinds of sub-managementprocessing using the plurality of processors. Alternatively, a pluralityof sales management apparatuses 10 may be provided to performdistributed processing of the plurality of kinds of sub-managementprocessing using the plurality of sales management apparatuses 10.Content of the sub-management processing described below is an example.A change of the order of a part of the processing, omission of a part ofthe processing, addition of other processing, or the like can beperformed as appropriate.

In Act 21, the processor 11 determines a provisional code that coincideswith no member code and is different from an already used provisionalcode. The processor 11 sets the determined provisional code as a newmonitoring code concerning the shopper whose monitoring code isunidentified during the monitoring processing as described above, thatis, the unidentified customer. On the other hand, during the monitoringprocessing, as described above, the processor 11 monitors behavior ofthe unidentified customer as behavior of the shopper identified by amonitoring code set anew. The processor 11 executes the informationprocessing based on the sales management application P1 in this way,whereby the computer including the processor 11 functions as adetermining section that determines a provisional code.

In Act 22, the processor 11 determines whether the unidentified customertakes out a commodity from the selling space. If the relevant behaviorperformed by the unknown customer is not recognized through themonitoring processing, the processor 11 determines No and the processproceeds to Act 23.

In Act 23, the processor 11 determines whether the unidentified customerreturns a commodity to the selling space. If the relevant behaviorperformed by the unidentified customer is not recognized through themonitoring processing, the processor 11 determines No and the processproceeds to Act 24.

In Act 24, the processor 11 determines whether the original monitoringcode before the setting of the monitoring code in Act 21 concerning theunidentified customer is reidentified during the monitoring processing.If the unidentified monitoring code is not reidentified, the processor11 determines No and the process proceeds to Act 25.

In Act 25, the processor 11 determines whether the unidentified customeris going to exit the store. If the relevant behavior taken by theunidentified customer is not recognized through the monitoringprocessing, the processor 11 determines No and the process returns toAct 22.

In this way, in Act 22 to Act 25, the processor 11 waits for taking-outof a commodity, return of a commodity, reidentification of a monitoringcode, and exit from the store to be recognized through the monitoringprocessing.

During the monitoring processing, if recognizing that the unidentifiedcustomer takes out a commodity from the selling space, the processor 11interrupts the sub-management processing concerning the unidentifiedcustomer and notifies a commodity code of the commodity taken out by theunidentified customer. If the sub-management processing is interrupted,the processor 11 determines Yes in Act 22 of the sub-managementprocessing and the process proceeds to Act 26.

In Act 26, the processor 11 updates a commodity list (e.g., provisionalcommodity registration data) shown in association with the unidentifiedcustomer in the purchased commodity table D1. That is, the processor 11updates a commodity list associated with the provisional code determinedfor the relevant unidentified customer to include, as a commodity codeof a purchased commodity, a commodity code notified from the monitoringprocessing. Consequently, the purchased commodity is registered inassociation with the provisional code determined by a function of theprocessor 11 functioning as the determining section. The processor 11executes the information processing based on the sales managementapplication P1 in this way, whereby the computer including the processor11 as the central part functions as a registering section that performssuch registration. Thereafter, the processor 11 returns to the waitingstate in Act 22 to Act 25.

During the monitoring processing, if recognizing that the unidentifiedcustomer returns a commodity to the selling space, the processor 11interrupts the sub-management processing concerning the unidentifiedcustomer and notifies a commodity code of the commodity returned by theunidentified customer. If the sub-management processing is interrupted,the processor 11 determines Yes in Act 23 of the sub-managementprocessing and the process proceeds to Act 27.

In Act 27, the processor 11 updates a commodity list shown inassociation with the unidentified customer in the purchased commoditytable D1. That is, the processor 11 updates the relevant commodity listto exclude the commodity code notified from the monitoring processingfrom commodity codes of purchased commodities. Thereafter, the processor11 returns to the waiting state in Act 22 to Act 25.

Since, for example, the shopper may put a coat back on after it has beentaken off or the face of the shopper may be clearly photographed again,the unidentified customer may be reidentified (re-associated with themonitoring code set in Act 1). In this case, during the monitoringprocessing, the processor 11 interrupts the sub-management processingconcerning the unidentified customer and notifies the reidentifiedmonitoring code. If the sub-management processing is interrupted, theprocessor 11 determines Yes in Act 24 of the sub-management processingand the process proceeds to Act 28.

In Act 28, the processor 11 combines the commodity list for theunidentified customer with the commodity list for the specific customeridentified by the monitoring code notified as described above. That is,the processor 11 adds each of the purchased commodities shown in thecommodity list for the unidentified customer to the commodity list forthe specific customer identified by the monitoring code notified asdescribed above. The reidentification is equivalent to, identificationof the member code acquired as the customer code for the shopper whenthe shopper enters the store after a provisional code was set. In thiscase, the processor 11 updates purchased commodities associated with theprovisional code determined for the shopper to purchased commoditiesassociated with the member code acquired as the customer code for theshopper. The processor 11 executes the information processing based onthe sales management application in this way, whereby the computerincluding the processor 11 as the central part functions as an updatingsection that performs such update. At this time, the processor 11 maydelete the commodity list for the unidentified customer from thepurchased commodity table D1.

In Act 29, the processor 11 records a lost period for the specificcustomer identified by the monitoring code notified as described above.The lost period is a period from when, concerning a certain shopper,behavior of the specific customer becomes unknown until when behavior ofthe shopper is detected as behavior of the unidentified customer. Forexample, the processor 11 sets, as the lost period, a period from whenthe commodity list for the specific customer identified by themonitoring code notified as described above is updated last until whenthe monitoring code is set for the unidentified customer in Act 21. Theprocessor 11 stores data representing the lost period in the main memory12 or the auxiliary storage device 13 in association with the monitoringcode of the specific customer. Thereafter, the processor 11 ends thesub-management processing.

On the other hand, if the unidentified customer performs predeterminedbehavior leading to exit from the store, the processor 11 detects withthe monitoring processing that the unidentified customer is going toexit the store. For example, the inside of the store is laid out suchthat a shopper moving to the exit of the store passes in front of thecheck-out terminal 40. For example, if the unidentified customer movesclose to the check-out terminal 40, the processor 11 detects that theunidentified customer is going to exit the store. During the monitoringprocessing, the processor 11 interrupts the sub-management processingconcerning the unidentified customer and notifies that the unidentifiedcustomer is going to exit the store. If the sub-management processing isinterrupted, the processor 11 determines Yes in Act 25 of thesub-management processing and the process proceeds to Act 30.

In Act 30, the processor 11 waits for a member code to be acquired inthe check-out terminal 40. At this time, for example, the processor 11requests the check-out terminal 40, which the unidentified customerapproaches, to acquire a member code. In response to the request, forexample, the check-out terminal 40 causes the touch panel 41 to displaya guidance screen having content for urging the shopper to hold themember code over the reader 42. For example, the check-out terminal 40drives a sound device incorporated in the check-out terminal 40,although not illustrated in FIG. 1, to generate call sound.

According to guidance on the guidance screen displayed on the touchpanel 41, the shopper holds, over the reader 42, the same barcode as thebarcode held over the reader 22 of the check-in terminal 20 when theshopper enters the store. The reader 42 reads the barcode held over thereader and acquires the member code shown on the barcode. Therefore, thereader 42 is a device that reads a barcode like the reader 22.

If the member code is read by the reader 42, the check-out terminal 40notifies the member code to the sales management apparatus 10 as aresponse to the request. For example, a processor included in thecheck-out terminal 40 delivers notification data for the notification tothe communication network 200 while addressing the notification data tothe sales management apparatus 10. The processor includes, in thenotification data, for example, the member code read by the reader 42and a command decided in advance to represent the response to therequest. The notification data is transmitted to the sales managementapparatus 10 by the communication network 200. In the sales managementapparatus 10, the communication interface 14 receives the notificationdata transmitted by the communication network 200 and gives thenotification data to the processor 11. Then, the processor 11 determinesYes in Act 30 and the process proceeds to Act 31.

At this time, the processor 11 acquires, from the notification data, themember code serving as the customer code of the shopper going to exitthe store. The processor 11 executes the information processing based onthe sales management application P1 in this way, whereby the computerincluding the processor 11 as the central part functions as a secondacquiring section.

In Act 31, the processor 11 combines the commodity list for theunidentified customer with the commodity list for the specific customeridentified by the monitoring code coinciding with the member codenotified as described above. Specific processing at this time may be thesame as Act 28.

In Act 32, the processor 11 records the lost period for the specificcustomer identified by the monitoring code coinciding with the membercode notified as described above. Specific processing at this time maybe the same as Act 29.

In Act 33, the processor 11 interrupts the main management processingconcerning the specific customer identified by the monitoring codecoinciding with the member code notified as described above and requestscheck-out. Thereafter, the processor 11 ends the sub-managementprocessing.

After the monitoring code set in Act 21 of the main managementprocessing for the shopper, who is the unidentified customer, asdescribed above is reidentified, during the monitoring processing,behavior of the shopper is detected as behavior of the specificcustomer. Therefore, during the main management processing, the processproceeds from the waiting state in Act 2 to Act 4 to processingcorresponding to a detection result of behavior during the monitoringprocessing. Consequently, if the specific customer takes out a commodityor returns a commodity, the update of the commodity list described abovecorresponding to the taking-out or the return of the commodity isperformed. The commodity list to be updated is the commodity list afterthe combination in Act 28 of the sub-management processing.

If it is detected by the monitoring processing that the specificcustomer is going to exit the store and the main management processingis notified to that effect, the processor 11 determines Yes in Act 4 andthe process proceeds to Act 7. If the check-out request is performedfrom the sub-management processing as described above, the processor 11also determines Yes in Act 4 as the specific customer is going to exitthe store and the process proceeds to Act 7.

In Act 7, the processor 11 determines whether the combination in Act 28of the sub-management processing is carried out concerning the commoditylist for the specific customer. If the combination is carried out, theprocessor 11 determines Yes and the process proceeds to Act 8.

In Act 8, the processor 11 determines whether any stray commodity isrecognized during the lost period for the specific customer. Concerningthe taking-out of the commodity detected during the monitoringprocessing, if a monitoring code of the shopper who performs thetaking-out of the commodity cannot be specified, the processor 11 adds acommodity code of the commodity to the stray commodity table D2 inassociation with time when the taking-out is detected. In Act 8 of themain management processing, for example, if the lost period associatedwith the specific customer is saved in the main memory 12 or theauxiliary storage device 13, the processor 11 determines whether anstray commodity associated with time in the lost period is present. Ifthe relevant stray commodity is absent, the processor 11 determines Noin Act 8. If the lost period associated with the specific customer isnot saved in the main memory 12 or the auxiliary storage device 13, theprocessor 11 also determines No in Act 8. If determining No in Act 8,the process proceeds to Act 9.

In Act 9, the processor 11 requests the check-out terminal 40 to displaya first confirmation screen. The first confirmation screen is a screenfor confirming with the specific customer that the purchased commoditiesregistered in the commodity list are correct commodities to be purchasedby the specific customer.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a first confirmation screen SC1. Thefirst confirmation screen SC1 illustrated in FIG. 4 is an example of ascreen displayed if five commodities are registered in a commodity listas purchased commodity of the specific customer. However, in FIG. 4,characters forming character strings representing commodity names of thepurchased commodities are omitted.

The first confirmation screen SC1 includes character strings ST1 to ST6,checkboxes CB1 to CB5, and a button BU1. The character strings ST1 toST5 respectively correspond to the five commodities. The characterstrings ST1 to ST5 represent names and unit prices of the commoditiescorresponding thereto. The character string ST6 represents a totalnumber and a total amount for the purchased commodities. The checkboxesCB1 to CB5 respectively correspond to the five commodities and arearranged besides the character strings corresponding to the commodities.All the checkboxes CB1 to CB5 include checkmarks and represent that thecommodities corresponding thereto are set as the purchased commodities.The checkboxes CB1 to CB5 can selectively take two states of a stateincluding the checkmarks and a state not including the checkmarks. Thecheckboxes CB1 to CB5 are GUI (graphical user interface) elements for ashopper to designate whether the commodities corresponding thereto areset as the purchased commodities. The button BU1 is a GUI element thatthe shopper should operate to declare that the confirmation iscompleted.

The processor 11 generates, based on the commodity list of the specificcustomer, screen data representing a screen like the first confirmationscreen SC1 and transmits the screen data to the check-out terminal 40.The processor 11 also includes the following control data in the screendata. One of the control data causes, according to operation of thecheckboxes CB1 to CB5, the check-out terminal 40 to perform processingfor changing whether the commodities corresponding thereto are set asthe purchased commodities and changing display/non-display of thecheckmarks to represent the setting. One of the control data causes,according to operation of the button BU1, the check-out terminal 40 toperform notification of a setting state by the checkboxes CB1 to CB5 tothe sales management apparatus 10. The screen data may be data directlyrepresenting an actual screen like a JPEG (joint photographic codingexperts group) format or may be data for configuring a screen in thecheck-out terminal 40 like an HTML (hypertext markup language) format.

If receiving the screen data, the check-out terminal 40 displays thefirst configuration screen on the touch panel 41 based on the screendata. The check-out terminal 40 drives, for example, a sound deviceincorporated in the check-out terminal 40, although not illustrated inFIG. 1, to generate call sound.

The shopper confirms, based on the first confirmation screen displayedon the touch panel 41, that the purchased commodities are correctlyregistered. If a wrong commodity is set as a purchased commodity, theshopper operates a checkbox corresponding to the commodity not to setthe commodity as a purchased commodity. If finishing the confirmationand necessary setting, the shopper operates the button BU1. In responseto these kinds of operations, the check-out terminal 40 performs achange and notification of the setting according to the control dataincluded in the screen data.

On the other hand, if a stray commodity associated with time in the lostperiod is present, the processor 11 determines Yes in Act 8 and theprocess proceeds to Act 10.

In Act 10, the processor 11 requests the check-out terminal 40 todisplay a second confirmation screen. The second confirmation screen isa screen for causing the specific customer to confirm that the purchasedcommodities registered in the commodity list are correct commodities tobe purchased by the specific customer. The second confirmation screen isa screen for inquiring the shopper whether a stray commodity associatedwith time in the lost period is a commodity to be purchased by thespecific customer or not. However, the second confirmation screen may bea screen showing a stray commodity associated with time in a periodobtained by adding a predetermined margin to the lost period.Alternatively, the second confirmation screen may be a screen showingall stray commodities irrespective of the associated time.Alternatively, the second confirmation screen may be a screen showingstray commodities narrowed down according to a predetermined conditionother than the time. For example, the second confirmation screen may notshow a stray commodity taken out in a position where the shopper cannotbe present in the lost period.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a second confirmation screen SC2. Thesecond confirmation screen SC2 illustrated in FIG. 5 is an example of ascreen displayed if the commodity list for the specific customer is thesame as the commodity list referred to for the generation of the firstconfirmation screen SC1 illustrated in FIG. 4 and if two straycommodities are present. Therefore, the second confirmation screen SC2is a screen in which an image including character strings ST7 and ST8and checkboxes CB6 and CB7 is added to the first confirmation screenSC1. In FIG. 5, the same elements as the elements illustrated in FIG. 4are denoted by the same reference signs. In FIG. 5, as in FIG. 4,characters forming character strings representing commodity names ofpurchased commodities are omitted.

The character strings ST7 and ST8 respectively correspond to the twostray commodities. The character strings ST7 and ST8 represent names andunit prices of the stray commodities corresponding thereto. Thecheckboxes CB6 and CB7 respectively correspond to the two straycommodities and are arranged besides the character strings correspondingto the stray commodities. Both of the checkboxes CB6 and CB7 do notinclude checkmarks to represent that the commodities correspondingthereto are not set as the purchased commodities. The checkboxes CB6 andCB7 can selectively take two states of a state including the checkmarksand a state not including the checkmarks. The checkboxes CB6 and CB7 areGUI elements for the shopper to designate whether the stray commoditiescorresponding thereto are set as the purchased commodities.

The processor 11 generates screen data representing a screen like thesecond confirmation screen SC2 and transmits the screen data to thecheck-out terminal 40. The processor 11 also includes the followingcontrol data in the screen data. One of the control data causes,according to operation of the checkboxes CB1 to CB7, the check-outterminal 40 to perform processing for changing whether the commoditiescorresponding thereto are set as the purchased commodities and changingdisplay/non-display of the checkmarks to represent the setting. One ofthe control data causes, according to operation of the button BU1, thecheck-out terminal 40 to perform notification of a setting state by thecheckboxes CB1 to CB7 to the sales management apparatus 10.

As described above, both of the first and second confirmation screensare screens for causing the shopper to confirm the purchased commoditiesassociated with the member code serving as the customer code. The screendata representing the screen is equivalent to data for causing theshopper to perform the confirmation described above. That is, thetransmission of the screen data to the check-out terminal 40 isequivalent to output of the data for the shopper to confirm thepurchased commodities. The processor 11 executes the informationprocessing based on the sales management application P1 in this way,whereby the computer including the processor 11 as the central partfunctions as an output section that performs the output described above.The screen data of the second confirmation screen is equivalent to datafor causing the shopper to confirm that commodities unknown about bywhich shopper the commodities are taken out from the selling space arenot purchased commodities. In this way, the computer including theprocessor 11 as the central part functions as an output section thatoutputs such data.

If receiving the screen data, the check-out terminal 40 displays thesecond confirmation screen on the touch panel 41 based on the screendata. The check-out terminal 40 drives, for example, the sound deviceincorporated in the check-out terminal 40, although not illustrated inFIG. 1, to generate call sound.

The shopper confirms, based on the second confirmation screen displayedon the touch panel 41, that the purchased commodities are correctlyregistered. If a wrong commodity is set as a purchased commodity, theshopper operates a checkbox corresponding to the commodity not to setthe commodity as the purchased commodity. The shopper confirms, based onthe second confirmation screen, that a stray commodity is a purchasedcommodity. If the stray commodity is not set as the purchased commodityalthough the stray commodity is the purchased commodity, the shopperoperates a checkbox corresponding to the stray commodity to set thestray commodity as the purchased commodity. If finishing theconfirmation and necessary setting, the shopper operates the button BU1.In response to these kinds of operation, the check-out terminal 40performs a change and notification of setting according to the controldata included in the screen data.

If ending Act 9 and Act 10, the process proceeds to Act 11.

In Act 11, the processor 11 determines, based on the notification of thecheck-out terminal 40 described above, whether a change of the purchasedcommodities is instructed. If the change is instructed, the processor 11determines Yes and the process proceeds to Act 12.

In Act 12, the processor 11 updates the commodity list for the specificcustomer in response to the notification from the check-out terminal 40.That is, the processor 11 excludes, from the purchased commodities, acommodity designated by the shopper as not being a purchased commodity.The processor 11 adds, to the purchased commodities associated with themember code of the shopper, a commodity designated by the shopper out ofthe commodities unknown about by which shopper the commodities are takenout from the selling space. The processor 11 executes the informationprocessing based on the sales management application P1 in this way,whereby the computer including the processor 11 as the central partfunctions as a registering section that performs such commodityregistration.

In Act 13, the processor 11 updates the unknown list. If there is acommodity set as a purchased commodity among stray commodities, theprocessor 11 updates the stray commodity table D2 to exclude thecommodity from the stray commodities.

Thereafter, the process proceeds to Act 14. If the combination in Act 28of the sub-management processing is not carried out concerning thecommodity list for the specific customer, the processor 11 determines Noin Act 7, passes Act 8 to Act 13, and the process proceeds to Act 14. Ifthe change of the purchased commodities is not instructed, the processor11 determines No in Act 11, passes Act 12 and Act 13, and the processproceeds to Act 14.

In Act 14, the processor 11 executes settlement processing for settlinga price for all the purchased commodities shown in the commodity listfor the specific customer. For example, the processor 11 calculates aprice for all the purchased commodities shown in the commodity list forthe specific customer. For example, the processor 11 requests thesettlement server 300 to settle the price using credit informationdeclared in advance for the specific customer. If completion of thesettlement is notified from the settlement server 300, the processproceeds to Act 15.

In Act 15, the processor 11 notifies the specific customer that thesettlement is completed. For example, the processor 11 transmits thenotification to an information terminal such as a smartphone carried bythe specific customer. If causing the check-out terminal 40 to displaythe first or second confirmation screen, the processor 11 may performthe notification in the check-out terminal 40 through display on thetouch panel 41. The notification may be omitted. If the shopper accessesthe sales management apparatus 10 from any information terminal via thecommunication network 200, the sales management apparatus 10 may causethe information terminal to display a screen showing a settlement resultor the like. If the notification is not performed in the check-outterminal 40 and the combination in Act 28 is not carried out, theshopper may not perform the confirmation work in the check-out terminal40 and can directly exit the store.

Thereafter, the processor 11 ends the main management processing.

As described above, if the sales management apparatus 10 can no longerrecognize a shopper performing shopping in the store as an identifiedshopper identified at the time of entering the store, the salesmanagement apparatus 10 continues the commodity registration for theunidentified shopper in association with the provisional code. If thesales management apparatus 10 can recognize that the unidentifiedshopper is the shopper identified at the time of entering the store, thesales management apparatus 10 adds, as a purchased commodity by theshopper specified when the shopper enters the store, a commodityregistered in association with the provisional code as described above.In this way, with the sales management apparatus 10, even if the shopperpresent in the store cannot be completely tracked from entry into thestore to the exit from the store, it is possible to perform registrationof purchased commodities for the shopper. The shopper can continue theshopping even in a state in which the shopper is not recognized as theshopper specified when the shopper enters the store. With the salesmanagement apparatus 10, the shopper shopping in the store is allowed tobe unable to be recognized as the shopper specified when the shopperenters the store. Therefore, with the sales management apparatus 10,compared with when it is necessary to always precisely track theshopper, it is possible to reduce a hardware size of the sensor group30. With the sales management apparatus 10, compared with when it isnecessary to always precisely track the shopper, flexibility ofdisposition of the sensor group 30 is improved. With the salesmanagement apparatus 10, compared with when it is necessary to alwaysprecisely track the shopper, flexibility of the monitoring processing isimproved.

With the sales management apparatus 10, if the shopper is going to exitthe store in a state in which the shopper cannot be recognized as theshopper specified when the shopper enters the store, the salesmanagement apparatus 10 acquires the member code of the shopper again.Therefore, the sales management apparatus 10 can surely recognize theunidentified customer as the shopper specified when the shopper entersthe store.

If the purchased commodities registered for the unidentified shopper areadded to the purchased commodities registered for the shopper specifiedwhen the shopper enters the store, the sales management apparatus 10causes the shopper to confirm the registered purchased commodities onthe first or second confirmation screen if the shopper is going to exitthe store. Therefore, if the addition of the purchased commodities isnot appropriately performed because of some reason, it is possible toprevent such an inappropriate situation from being left unattended.

It is likely that a time lag occurs from when the shopper cannot berecognized as the shopper specified when the shopper enters the storeuntil when the commodity registration associated with the provisionalcode for the shopper is started. If the shopper takes out a commodityfrom the selling space in this period, the commodity cannot be set as apurchased commodity of the shopper. It is unclear which shopperpurchases the commodity. However, for a shopper unable to be recognizedas a shopper previously specified when the shopper enters the shop, thesales management apparatus 10 causes the shopper to confirm, on thesecond confirmation screen, that the stray commodity is a purchasedcommodity of the shopper or not. If omission occurs in the registrationof the purchased commodities in the situation described above, it ispossible to cause the shopper to recognize the omission of theregistration. It is possible to prevent such an inappropriate situationfrom being left unattended. Moreover, the sales management apparatus 10adds the stray commodity to the purchased commodities according to aninstruction by the shopper in the check-out terminal 40. Therefore, itis possible to easily solve the inappropriate situation withoutinvolvement of a store clerk or the like.

Various modified implementations of this embodiment are contemplated.

The processor 11 may acquire, via the communication interface 14, amember code that is directly transmitted to the sales managementapparatus 10 from the information terminal carried by the shopper whenthe shopper enters and exits the store via the communication network200.

The settlement processing may be performed based on operation of theshopper at the check-out terminal 40. In this case, the settlementprocessing may be executed in the check-out terminal 40. Alternatively,the check-out terminal 40 may be used as a user interface device and thesettlement processing may be performed in the sales management apparatus10. As a settlement method, any settlement method such as credit cardsettlement, electronic money settlement, coupon settlement, rewardspoint settlement, QR Code® based settlement, prepaid card settlement,debit card settlement, or digital currency settlement may be used.

A part or all of the functions performed by the processor 11 through theinformation processing can also be performed by hardware that executesinformation processing not based on a program such as a logic circuit.Each of the above-described functions can be also performed by combininghardware such as a logic circuit with software control.

While certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments havebeen presented by way of example only, and are not intended to limit thescope of the present disclosure. Indeed, the novel embodiments describedherein may be embodied in a variety of other forms; furthermore, variousomissions, substitutions and changes in the form of this embodimentsdescribed herein may be made without departing from the spirit of thepresent disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents areintended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within thescope and spirit of the present disclosure.

What is claimed is:
 1. A commodity registration apparatus, comprising: acheck-in terminal configured to obtain a customer identification code ofa known shopper; a sensor group configured to detect movement ofshoppers and items in a store space; and a management terminal connectedto the check-in terminal and the sensor group by a network and includinga processor configured to: track movement of the known shopper based onoutput of the sensor group; track movement of items from a saleslocation based on output of the sensor group; update a first commoditylist to include a commodity code for a first item when tracked movementsof the known shopper and the first item indicate the known shopper hasselected the first item for purchase, the first commodity list beingassociated with the customer identification code of the known shopper;track movement of an unidentified shopper based on output of the sensorgroup, the unidentified shopper being a customer not presentlyassociated with a customer identification code; update a secondcommodity list to include a commodity code for a second item whentracked movements of the unidentified shopper and the second itemindicate the unidentified shopper has selected the second item forpurchase, the second commodity list being associated with a provisionalidentification code for the unidentified shopper; and generate commodityregistration data for settlement processing for the known shopper usingthe first commodity list unless the unidentified shopper is identifiedas the known shopper prior to settlement processing, in which case,commodity registration data for settlement processing is generated usingthe first and second commodity lists in combination.
 2. The commodityregistration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unidentifiedshopper is identified as the known shopper by facial recognitionanalysis on an image of the unidentified shopper.
 3. The commodityregistration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the unidentifiedshopper is identified as the known shopper when the unidentified shopperinputs a customer code at a checkout terminal for settlement processing.4. The commodity registration apparatus according to claim 1, whereinthe processor is further configured to: identify a time period betweenwhen the movement of the known shopper was last tracked until themovement of the unidentified shopper was first tracked; and if theunidentified shopper has subsequently been identified as the knownshopper, transmit a commodity code for any stray commodity moved and notreturned during the time period to a checkout terminal at which theknown shopper is detected.
 5. The commodity registration apparatusaccording to claim 4, wherein the checkout terminal is configured topresent a commodity confirmation list including the commodity code ofthe stray commodity.
 6. The commodity registration apparatus accordingto claim 4, wherein the processor is further configured to: maintain astray commodity list including a commodity code of any stray commodityin association with a time at which the stray commodity was lasttracked; and update the stray commodity list by removing the commoditycode of any stray commodity purchased by the known shopper at thecheckout terminal.
 7. The commodity registration apparatus according toclaim 1, wherein the sensor group is a plurality of cameras.
 8. Thecommodity registration apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising: a checkout terminal for settlement processing.
 9. Thecommodity registration apparatus according to claim 8, wherein thecheckout terminal displays a commodity confirmation screen including thegenerated commodity registration data.
 10. The commodity registrationapparatus according to claim 1, wherein the check-in terminal comprisesa bar code reader.
 11. A commodity registration method, comprising:obtaining a customer identification code of a known shopper at acheck-in terminal; tracking movement of shoppers and items in a storespace based on output of a sensor group; updating a first commodity listto include a commodity code for a first item when tracked movements ofthe known shopper and the first item indicate the known shopper hasselected the first item for purchase, the first commodity list beingassociated with the customer identification code of the known shopper;updating a second commodity list to include a commodity code for asecond item when tracked movements of an unidentified shopper and thesecond item indicate the unidentified shopper has selected the seconditem for purchase, the unidentified shopper being a customer notpresently associated with a customer identification code, the secondcommodity list being associated with a provisional identification codefor the unidentified shopper; and generating commodity registration datafor settlement processing for the known shopper using the firstcommodity list unless the unidentified shopper is identified as theknown shopper prior to settlement processing, in which case, commodityregistration data for settlement processing is generated using the firstand second commodity lists in combination.
 12. The commodityregistration method according to claim 11, wherein the unidentifiedshopper is identified as the known shopper by facial recognitionanalysis on an image of the unidentified shopper.
 13. The commodityregistration method according to claim 11, wherein the unidentifiedshopper is identified as the known shopper when the unidentified shopperinputs a customer code at a checkout terminal for settlement processing.14. The commodity registration method according to claim 11, furthercomprising: identifying a time period between when the movement of theknown shopper was last tracked until the movement of the unidentifiedshopper was first tracked; and if the unidentified shopper hassubsequently been identified as the known shopper, transmitting acommodity code for any stray commodity moved and not returned during thetime period to a checkout terminal at which the known shopper isdetected.
 15. The commodity registration method according to claim 14,further comprising: presenting a commodity confirmation list includingthe commodity code of the stray commodity on a display connected to thecheck-out terminal.
 16. The commodity registration method according toclaim 15, updating the commodity registration data to include thecommodity code of the stray commodity if the commodity code of the straycommodity is selected on from the commodity confirmation list.
 17. Thecommodity registration method according to claim 14, further comprising:maintaining a stray commodity list including a commodity code of anystray commodity in association with a time at which the stray commoditywas last tracked; and updating the stray commodity list by removing thecommodity code of any stray commodity purchased by the known shopper atthe checkout terminal.
 18. The commodity registration method accordingto claim 11, further comprising: performing settlement processing usingthe generated commodity registration data.
 19. The commodityregistration method according to claim 11, wherein the sensor groupcomprises a plurality of cameras.
 20. The commodity registration methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the customer identification code isobtained by a bar code reader.